PUEBLO, Colo. – With the holiday season upon us, there’s plenty to be thankful for in the world of bull riding.
Seeing Rafael Jose de Brito earn a triple crown feat at the 2023 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
Witnessing Daniel Keeping take the next steps in becoming a superstar.
Remembering just how dominant the likes of Kaique Pacheco, Jose Vitor Leme and the tour’s top competitors really are.
RELATED: 23 moments we’re thankful for in 2023
Hell, we could be thankful for 23 aspects of Unleash The Beast alone.
But all things considered … after seeing year two of the explosive 5-on-5 circuit come to a close during one of the industry’s most electric events in 30 years of entertainment (the 2023 PBR Camping World Teams Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada), how can the head-to-head tour not be atop the list of successes in 2023?
Watching the Texas Rattlers go the distance during the 2023 PBR Camping World Teams Championship.
Welcoming legends like Guilherme Marchi, Adriano Moraes, Robson Palermo back to locker rooms, now coaching their respective teams.
Knowing which teams more than enough talent to get the job done, but being surprised by the likes of the No. 8 Missouri Thunder continuing to make a name for the postseason tournament’s No. 8 seeds.
What are you most thankful for in 2023? Or maybe you’ve got some of your own takeaways from the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series? Tag us @PBR on social media channels throughout the holiday weekend and be sure to enjoy the time with family and friends!
In the meantime, we’re taking a quick glance back at some of the biggest booms from year two!
The Riders are Invested: From 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis recently announcing his retirement from Unleash The Beast, allowing him to focus on his time spent with the Carolina Cowboys, to Keyshawn Whitehorse comparing the 5-on-5 circuit to a game of basketball, detailing how each of the guys have their own roles and expectations, a majority of riders who experienced their second year of PBR Camping World Team Series action didn’t just enjoy the summer. They’re already fired up for the 2024 season! After spending their entire careers as a group of one, it may have taken a lap or two for the majority to buy in, but once you get celebrating with the boys after a big win, there’s no looking back!
BIG Celebrations: Sure, we love when any rider dismounts his bovine opponent to be met with rowdy applause and a couple of handshakes when they return to the chutes. Maybe a quick dance, or even a backflip, if you’re Cassio Dias, Ezekiel Mitchell or Thiago Salgado. But the support of 5-10 teammates, two coaches and potentially thousands of your hometown fans? Those successes just hit different, as the celebrations have been taken to a new level within the electric head-to-head tour. Seeing the guys charge the dirt in matching outfits is one aspect, but it’s the sharing of those rides, accomplishments, checks and gold buckles themselves, that take PBR Teams celebrations to the next level! When one of the guys win, everybody wins, and the riders have been celebrating accordingly!
Hometown Success: When the circuit rolled around to its second of 10 stops, it was the Kansas City Outlaws who became the first team in PBR Teams history to win their homestand event. Able to edge out the eventual regular season champion Austin Gamblers during an extra outs sessions, the orange and black unit was showered with love when all was said and done. Seeing how much fun the team, and its supporters, were having during the hometown win, two additional teams followed suit in 2023, including the Gamblers in Austin, Texas, and the Rattlers in Fort Worth, Texas. Even for the other five teams which didn’t end their respective homestand weekends atop the event standings, it’s still very much a win anytime teams get to put on a show for their own fans. As each organization continues to elevate its franchises in their respective communities and markets, each game is a potential opportunity to create new fans. At a quick glance, the crowds looked better than the inaugural go, as audiences are only expected to grow during the third season, set to begin in the summer of 2024.
BULL POWER: Don’t get it twisted. Just because the tour provides an opportunity for more than 80+ riders to be featured in any given weekend does NOT mean the circuit doesn’t have the bull power to match. If anything, PBR would run out of top-end riders before stock contractors stopped coming up with these insanely talented animal athletes. Seeing back-to-back YETI World Champion Bull Ridin Solo (who’s yet to surrender a qualified ride on the PBR Teams circuit) and dozens of the industry’s top bovines participate in the thrilling 5-on-5 series during the first two seasons of action, stock contractors from around North America are continuing to line up for a chance to feature their bulls in what’s quickly becoming the sport’s most welcomed, yet non-traditional, competitive bull riding format. As for the bulls? They don’t mind what color the guys are wearing or how big of a stage they may be bucking on. They’re still bringing all they’ve got. Just ask Man Hater, who produced the tour’s highest-ever bull score (47 points) during a postseason showdown with Trevor Reiste.
Pocket Aces: Dominance comes in a lot of shapes and sizes, but after claiming the second-straight PBR Teams regular season championship, the most prevalent form comes in the essence of the Austin Gamblers. Setting the regular season record at 19-9 the second time around after tying for the year one record at 16-12, the squad was again fueled by two-time PBR Teams MVP, Jose Vitor Leme and his pocket ace partner, “Mr. 90 Points” Dalton Kasel. While Kasel ended the season in a bit of a slump, he still managed a No. 5 finish in the MVP race, speaking to just how elite he looked throughout the first half of the season. With an immense amount depth featured in the lineup, including the likes of Ramon de Lima, Lucas Divino and company, it’ll be interesting to see what their team looks like in 2024. But if the pocket aces return in green and black, it’s almost certain they’ll open the season once again as favorites to win it all. Able to earn first-round byes at both the 2022 and 2023 PBR Teams Championships, the Michael Gaffney-coached squad again came up short last month. Surely, only fuel for each of the riders as they prepare to press the reset button and compete within their respective individual season tours (including six of the teams’ riders who have already made their 2024 Unleash The Beast debut in Tucson, Arizona).
Learning From Legends: Some of the industry’s most impactful and knowledgeable riders turned PBR Teams coaches have truly brought the game to the next level. Coaches like Cody Lambert and Cord McCoy have been and continue to be around the locker rooms and atop the chutes, offering bits of advice here and there. Now, coaches are able to use the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour and Unleash The Beast events as scouting opportunities for their teams in addition to helping riders as individuals. That’s all, of course, in addition to their roles during the actual season; leading training camp workouts, ensuring accountability within each man on the roster and collecting the locker room’s energy in preparing for battle. Reviewing film, adjusting lineups, connecting with personnel and keeping an eye on the future. It’s no wonder that guys like Cassio Dias, Caden Bunch and other young, up-and-coming talents continue to flourish during the PBR Teams circuit.
Postseason Pressure: After seeing another intense playoff gauntlet play out, *ducks from vegetables* … Is the PBR Teams Championship beginning to rival the UTB World Finals as the most electric event in the bull riding industry? With the premier series finale set to adapt a revolutionary new format of its own this spring in Texas, bull riding fans will continue to witness the sport in new ways, with the goal of rank rides and thrilling competition continuing to be the result. But there’s no denying there’s something special about competing in the City of Bright Lights. Within the beautiful confines of T-Mobile Arena. Becoming a World Champion is still the ultimate goal for most riders, but that big ole’ shiny buckle is quickly becoming one of the world’s most sought-after trophies.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
